URGENT! Real time q& a... Need bolt sizes (1 Viewer)

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beachcruiser

beachcruiser

Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Threads
24
Messages
169
Location
Austin TX area, by way of the Outer Banks of NC
Website
www.nooktinyhomes.com
Hey guys.. I am wondering if my car karma has worn out or if I have been sabotaged, but I was leaving the driveway, and the front end got "loose" real quick. BOTH bolts that connect the front passenger side birfield to the steering assembly are gone... wheel/ knuckle moves side to side independently of the steering assembly, and I was about to head out with a trailer full of gear... The holes that the bolts were mounted to appear to have tapered heads. If you know of size/ pitch, I might be able to get a makeshift replacement until the real thing can be ordered and installed... What gives and what do I need to get back up and going?! Thanks in advance :eek:
 
I just climbed back under, and you're right.. The scary thing is that I had an accident last September (went offroad and air born going 60 mph toavoid a huge pileup) and they worked on the front end back then.. I have put 35k miles on the beast since then... I know for a fact those studs didnt back out... They were likely never replaced when the front end was worked on.

That being said, and other than feeling lucky as hell, how do I go about mounting the studs back into the original locations? Where can I get them ASAP, and do they have a profile that allows for mounting with a deep socket, or what? WTF?!?!?! This is bizarre... :confused:
 
beachcruiser said:
I just climbed back under, and you're right.. The scary thing is that I had an accident last September (went offroad and air born going 60 mph toavoid a huge pileup) and they worked on the front end back then.. I have put 35k miles on the beast since then... I know for a fact those studs didnt back out... They were likely never replaced when the front end was worked on.

That being said, and other than feeling lucky as hell, how do I go about mounting the studs back into the original locations? Where can I get them ASAP, and do they have a profile that allows for mounting with a deep socket, or what? WTF?!?!?! This is bizarre... :confused:
Click to expand...

If you didn't notice they were missing before how do you know for a fact they didn't back out? Not trying to be an a$$, just that it is not uncommon for them to back out after having been unassebled.

When the knuckle arm is taken off the studs need to be torqued back to spec. most of the time they are tight but sometimes they are not. When I rebuilt my knuckes half of them were slightly loose. If I had not checked them (very easy to forget) I would be in the same situation you are know.

Back to your question, you will need to get nuts, cone washers, studs and washers from the dealer. Get at least on extra nut so you can us it as a jum nut to tighten the studs.
 
Good point... I had no idea that they could back out as easily as that. Am I going to need to work from the inside of the knuckle to install the studs, or will it something that I can complete from the outside?
 
beachcruiser said:
Good point... I had no idea that they could back out as easily as that. Am I going to need to work from the inside of the knuckle to install the studs, or will it something that I can complete from the outside?
Click to expand...

Take the other nuts off and drop the knuckle arm. It'll be tight because there is a portion that seats in the bottom trunion bearing. You should be able to push it out of the way enough to put the other studs in, make sure you check the studs that are there. I would replace all four. Search the archives for knuckle rebuild or birfield maintenance, better yet check the facts section at the top of the forum. (oops may not be there :doh: )

That is the quick fix. Since you have had the studs back out and had the knockle arm wobble around, it is very likely that your trunion bearings have been damaged so they should be replaced. While you are in there you might as well repack the birfields and do the entire birf maintenace.

I would try talking to the people that fixed your front end and see what they say. After all they were the ones that didn't tighten the studs in the first place. Might be hard to get them to do anything about it a year later but it also takes time for those studs to back out too.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everybody for the assistance... I will be contacting CDAN today for the studs, etc. I will probably repack/ rebuild the birfs while I am in "fix it" mode, as I haven't touched them in 50k miles... So, all said, it would be wise to get a trunion bearing as well, and likely new studs for the other side if the old ones do not have the torx head? You guys have been a life saver, and I consider myself damn lucky to not have had the whole assembly shear off while driving down the main drag...
 
I missed the original thread linked above.

Scary stuff. I will be checking my truck tonight! I am 5,000 miles post birf job and I did not know about this stud issue.... :eek:
 
Ok, so who do you guys recommentd getting the parts through. No luck private messaging Cruiserdan... Anyone have a number or business name? I need to get an order in ASAP so I can get back on the road.

BTW I found the last bolt at the end of my drive. It sheared off, which leads me to believe that at least two backed out, possibly three, and then the torsion on the last bolt sheared it off... Very scary stuff.
 
beachcruiser,

What is your location?
 
So, just to clirify, how could I get ahold of cruiserdan or another comparable dealer that could get me the parts I need ASAP? Any and all suggestions for vendors would be lifesaver, as I need to get an order together today..

Thanks in advance
 
You might consider putting these back in with the low grade Lock-tite (can't remember which color). Can't really see a reason you'd ever need to get these off, but I believe the low grade stuff is removable with a little heat.

This has been discussed quite a bit on this site. Whether you do you own work or have someone else do it, if that lower knuckle arm is taken off for any reason, you'd be well adviced to make sure those studs have been checked prior to reinstall.

:beer:
Rookie2
 
When I needed them in a hurry I just went down the street to this other cruiser here in Outer Banks and helped myself! Gotta go install them now.
 
scottm said:
When I needed them in a hurry I just went down the street to this other cruiser here in Outer Banks and helped myself! Gotta go install them now.
Click to expand...

Interesting, cause I went to snag some off a rig over in the Outer Banks too. It was already missing two, so I was working on getting the third and fourth one off, but this guy kept coming out and loading his trailer up with gear, so I decided to scat.
 
You know, come to think about it, I saw a couple of cruisers running up and down my street earlier... In fact, I might be lucky that my rig sin't up on blocks and stripped ;)
 
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